Impact investment-focused advisory firm Veris Wealth Partners has released its Framework for Investing in a Just Transition, aiming to support an equitable migration to a low-carbon economy by providing examples of opportunities, engagement and potential policy changes. The report details Veris’ strategy for just-transition investing, identifying solutions that it believes address the intersectionality of racial and gender equity, inequitable access to economic opportunities, and the various impacts of the climate crisis. “Systems-level change is necessary to combat the disproportionate harm that people of colour, low-income communities, women, and coastal communities face because of climate change,” said Veris CEO Stephanie Cohn Rupp. “Impact investors can support systems-level change by identifying investable opportunities that support a just transition.” The firm’s just transition lens also addresses related societal needs including self-empowerment, gender and racial equity, democratic decision-making and workers’ rights and well-being – illustrating how these and other inputs (including policy, financial structures, community wealth) interrelate. Veris sees opportunities for just transition investments across the risk-return spectrum, including those with the potential to bring market-rate financial returns and impact-first returns, laying the groundwork for market-rate risk-adjusted return opportunities in the future. “There is an opportunity for impact investors to come together to assess the risk of not funding environmental and climate justice solutions and to create intentional investable solutions,” said Roraj Pradhananga, Co-chief Investment Officer, and lead author of the report. “Through our just transition framework, [we are] taking the first step to identify and invest in these solutions.”
